The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-13
ON BOARD A MORTAR BOAT
EXPERIENCE WHILE BOMBAROiNG
FORT JACKSON.

~"N"-
Firing ON shipboard-A Queer Disguise.
Destructive work-A Most Miraculous
Escape.
One of the preliminary movements for ths
Passage of the forts defending New Orleans
was the bringing up and placing Of Porters
mortar fleet where it could shell the forts.
The number of these mortar boats was an
even twenty. and they were divided into
three divisions, each division having a sep
arate commander and being located by itself
For several DAYS before the mortars got to
work the coast survey men were busy buoy
ing out positions and calculating distances,
and the wonderful work accomplished by
them was the wonder of at least the rank
and file of the fleet. The distance to each
fort was accurately estimated by triangu-
lation that the very first she'll killed one man
and wounded another inside the works.
The division TO which | attached
anchored close 10 the bank of the river, with
"A strip of woods hak a mile wide between
~ and the forts Beyond the woods
wide marsh, and our proper distance from
the nearest work was 5000 feet. The other
fort CS. Phillip was about 600 yards further
away 1t is matter of history that our
masts were trimmed with bushes where they
showed above the trees, as to blind the
punners at the forts | one of the detail
of men who carried out this movement, and
queer enough our schooners looked when the
work was completed. Our proper masts
seemed to have been replaced by trees taken
from the shore. But few of us had had any
experience with mortars, and the COM
mander of each vessel issued instructions,
which we followed with benefit. Few men,
even those belonging to the artillery service,
have any idea of the terrible din and con
cussion of mortar firing on shipboard. On
land much Of the din seems to be absorbed
by the solid ground, but on board a vessel
you feel it all Some of the men on our
schooner who neglected the precaution Of
holding a bit of soft wood in their teeth bit
their tongues in a bad way We had our
ears stuffed with cotton, and each time the
mortar fired every man rose on his tip
toes. Despite these precautions many minor
accidents happened and nothing could pre-
vent from feeling and hearing a good
share of the terrible din.
After the fleet got to firing regularly the
roar was heard fifty miles at sea, and
crockery was ratified about on pantry shelves
in houses twenty-five miles distant. We
fired about once in every seven or eight
minutes and this kept eight or nine shells in
tue air all the time. At each discharge the
boat heeled over as il she had struck heavy
sea- and had scarcely come back to a level
Keel when we were ready TO repeat the opera
tion. The strain ON planks and timbers was
tremendous After had fired the fifth
shot we had To set the pumps going, and
some of the great spikes were started half an
inch Had we been aground the bottom of
the schooner would have been driven out at
the first fire. While the entire fleet came in
for the din, the crews of the mortars Of
course suffered most After the first days
firing, which ceased at sunset, the stiffness
was almost much of a strain ON our nerves
as the noise had been, and it hours be-
fore could go TO sleep.
1t must not be supposed that all the fun
was ON our side After our third shot the
Confederates opened on from n number
of heavy guns. While they could not see US
on account of the forest, they knew our
positions, and after little shot and shell be-
gan to fall around us. Inside of one hour
I counted eight shells which fell within 200
feet of our schooner, and the bursting OF
some of them threw water on our decks. Dur
ing the first day we had dozen missiles pass
directly over Us, cutting a few ropes and
witnessed several accidents aboard Of other
vessels living ahead and behind us. The de-
structive work of the Confederate fire was,
however, more plainly seen when the big
l2O pound shells fell into the forest which
protected us The soil was soft and spongy
being ubject to periodical overfiows and
when the great shells sunk into this earth and
exploded they would throw mud and water
over the tree tops and leave q crater large
enough 10 take in a house. Scores of great
trees were uprooted by these explosions, and
the shells which exploded in the tops OF
Others created far more havoc than the
nngriest bolts of lightning ever hurled from
Jove's hand
We planted over 800 bombs inside the
two forts on that first day. burning the cita
del and everything else which would burn In
Fort jackson, driving most Of the men to
shelter and damaging the magazine so that
il could not be entered during the night
Outside OF thirty or forty shells which ex
ploded in the air. owing to bad fuses, no,
more than dozen out of the great number
fired fell outside of the works. We fired
entirely at Fort jackson, which was mile
and half away.
We opened fire again at daylight on the
second day. and the reply from the forts wal
Just as vigorous. although we knew tn,
enemy had suffered a great deal and mus
be considerably demoralized- About mid
forenoon, just we were ready TO fill oul
mortar for the fifteenth time since opening
a great rifle shell, which plainly saw befor'
il fell. and took to he bird of some sort
descended upon our deck with an awful crash
IL disappeared through the heavy pianks as I
tnes hid oeeh PS'pei' psS>>eu "o"" 'H'o
the magazine with its dangerous contents
and on down through the bottom or tn
schooner and into the mud of the river bed
The fuse was burning brightly when it struc
the deck, and the men trail of spark
as ii passed through the magazine. In me
ment it was known that we were sinking, bu
the craft around hastened alongside an
helped To remove most of the stores befor
she went down. That the shell struck with
out killing any of was considered miracu
lous. That it passed through the magazin
without exploding it one of those unao
countable things in war which admit of n
discussion. Darlington Smith in Detroit Ere
Press.
other Big Named Men.
Secretary Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Ii
mar is not the only big named man i'm the d.
partment of the interior Thera are ais